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Authors: Cheris Hodges

BOOK: Betting On Love
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Jade nodded but wasn't ready to totally agree with James.
They drove to Kenya and Maurice's uptown condo. Jade was impressed by the building as soon as they walked into the lobby.
“Expensive digs,” she remarked as James waved to the doorman.
“That's what Charlotte does. It moves the poor out of uptown so that they can build these high-rises that only millionaires can afford.”
“A page out of Atlanta's gentrification book,” she said. “Why don't you live uptown?”
“I like to mow the lawn. What can I say?”
Jade imagined James outside in the summer, shirtless and sweaty, riding a John Deere mower. She wouldn't mind bringing him a cool drink of water or even working alongside him, planting a few rosebushes. Growing up, she'd always wanted a yard with lush green grass and blooming flowers. Even though she lived in a trendy neighborhood in Atlanta and didn't have a yard, she knew that when she moved to Charlotte, her place would have a big yard. Though she wouldn't be the one cutting the grass; she'd just plant flowers.
Kenya met the couple at the door of the penthouse. “I'm going to kill your brother,” she said to James. “Good morning, Jade.”
“What did he do now?” asked James.
“Just come in and watch,” Kenya said.
Maurice bounded into the foyer. “Kenya, will you please sit down. You need to take it easy.”
Kenya raised her eyebrows at James as if to say, “See what I mean?”
“Mo,” James said, “she's pregnant, not an invalid.”
Maurice glared at his brother. “Shut up. Hi, Jade.”
“Hello,” Jade said.
“Are you going to serve us brunch?” Kenya asked. “If so, then I will sit down.”
“The food is on the table,” Maurice said and pointed everyone toward the dining room.
James and Jade looked at each other and laughed. “Do you think they're going to make it nine months?” she asked.
“Nope,” James replied.
“I can hear y'all,” Maurice said as he pulled a chair out for Kenya. “What's wrong with me wanting my wife to be calm and relaxed?”
“Maurice, whatever,” Kenya said in an exasperated sigh. “I just know that you better not show up at my job with your overprotectiveness.”
“I make no promises,” Maurice said as he doled out scrambled eggs and turkey bacon.
“You know what would set this brunch off?” Kenya said as Maurice handed her a plate.
“What's that?” James asked.
“Your mother's cinnamon buns. I love that icing,” Kenya told them.
Jade, who was sipping orange juice, dropped her head and coughed as James glanced at her.
Kenya looked from James to Jade. “What?”
“Nothing,” Jade said. “We love the icing, too.”
“Why didn't Ma come last night?” Maurice asked.
“She said the new girl at the bakery had a family emergency,” Kenya said. “But don't worry. She already knows that she's going to be a grandmother.”
“I want to thank you two,” James said. “You took the pressure off.”
Maurice laughed. “Whatever,” he said. “There was never any pressure on you, anyway.”
“Here we go,” Kenya said. Then she turned to Jade. “These two have a running competition on everything. It's been that way since we were little.”
“So, you guys grew up together?” asked Jade.
Kenya nodded. “It's been a journey knowing these two. Are you originally from Atlanta?”
“No,” Jade said. “I was born in Louisiana, but home was everywhere. My parents worked on riverboats.”
“That sounds exciting,” Kenya told her.
Jade offered her a fake smile and didn't reply. She didn't want to talk about her childhood and everything that she had missed. “Thank God for college,” she finally said. “A riverboat life gets old quick.”
Kenya bit into her bacon and shrugged. “I'm sure it did. So you went to school in Atlanta?”
Jade nodded. “Yes, Spelman College.”
“I graduated from Clark Atlanta,” Kenya said, then looked pointedly at Maurice. “Even though I didn't want to go to a college that had a scholarship named after my mother.”
“Who's your mother?” Jade asked.
“Angela Taylor. She's an editor at the
AJC.
”
“She spoke at Spelman once. She has a powerful presence,” Jade said. “She's the reason my friends and I started our investment club. All these years later, it's paying off.”
“That's right. You guys are opening a restaurant,” replied Kenya.
Jade nodded. “We're actually trying to get Devon Harris to be our chef.”
“I love his show,” Kenya said. “Maurice, isn't he in town this weekend?”
Maurice rolled his eyes. “Yeah. Every night she watches this guy on TV, but do you think she cooks any of that stuff ?”
James shook his head, and Kenya tossed a napkin at him. “Maurice didn't marry me for my cooking,” she said, causing Jade to laugh.
After brunch Jade and James headed back to his place. While she knew she should've been reaching out to Devon, as she'd promised Kandace she would, Jade wanted and needed some more alone time with her man before she got down to business.
CHAPTER 22
As soon as Jade and James walked into his house, her cell phone rang. “Hello?” Jade said.
“Jade Christian?” a male voice said.
“Yes, and who's calling?”
“Devon Harris. I heard you've been trying to reach me.”
Jade smiled and grabbed James's shoulder. “Devon, don't act like this is just a business call. How have you been, and why have your people been giving us the runaround?”
“That's my agent's way,” Devon said, with a smile in his voice. “How are you and the girls doing?”
“Great, but you know we need your help,” she said. James looked at her quizzically. “The chef,” she mouthed to him.
“Do you have dinner plans?” Devon asked.
“I don't think so.”
“Then you need to come by Mez, as my guest.”
“Make it plus one and I'm there.”
Devon groaned. “You're not still with Stephen Carter, are you?”
“You knew about that?” she asked. “But to answer your question, no.”
“Great. Then I'll see you and your guest around eight, and we can talk,” he said. “By the way, how's Kandace?”
Jade paused. How was she supposed to answer that? “Fine,” she finally said.
“Tell her that I asked about her,” he said.
“Why don't you just call her?” Jade probed.
“I have to go. See you at eight.” He hung up before Jade could say anything else, causing her to believe even more strongly that Kandace and Devon had some serious unfinished business.
“Is everything all right?” James asked, noting Jade's furrowed brows.
“Yes,” she said, offering him a smile. “That may have been the answer to my prayers.”
“Here I thought I was the answer to your prayers.”
She smacked him on his shoulder. “Silly. Do we have dinner plans?”
“Well, I was hoping that you were going to feed me,” he said, with a wink. “But if you need to go out, go ahead.”
“We've been invited to dinner,” she said. “Devon Harris wants us to be his guests at Mez.”
“All right,” he said. “I've been meaning to try the food at the EpiCenter.”
“Devon is working with Mr. Woods, and hopefully, he'll want to run his own kitchen.”
James smiled, clearly impressed with Jade. “My little businesswoman is making moves.”
“Well, I've got to make up for my lack of judgment with Stephen.”
James wrapped his arms around her waist. “Everything happens for a reason, and we all make mistakes.”
She nodded and leaned into him. “You're right.”
“But,” he said, his voice simmering with sensuality, “we have a lot of time before dinner. We can get an early start on dessert.”
“Let me get the icing,” she replied, with a smile.
 
 
Hours later Jade and James emerged from the bed, satisfied and ready for dinner. She dressed in a formfitting pair of black slim-leg pants and a baby blue tuxedo shirt. James, seeing that Jade was looking very sexy, yet businesslike, decided that his jeans and sports coat weren't going to cut it.
“Let me be your arm candy tonight,” he said as he pulled out a brown suit and coral shirt.
“Arm candy?”
“Yeah,” he said, with a grin. “I look good and will make you look even better.”
Jade ran her hand over James's arm. “I can't argue with that.”
After James was dressed, they headed out to the popular eatery. What they didn't know was that the restaurant was hosting a private party that catered to the elite of Charlotte.
“It's a good thing I did change my clothes,” James said after the maître d' checked their names off the list.
“Devon didn't tell me all this was going on,” she said as they were led to a table in the center of the restaurant, which was marked CHEF'S TABLE.
The maître d' took the other chairs away, indicating that Jade and James would be sitting alone. “Enjoy your meal,” he said, then walked away.
The restaurant was dimly lit, giving an ambiance of romance. James slid his chair closer to Jade and placed his arm around her shoulder. “It looks like we have some competition,” she said, referring to the restaurant.
“Are you guys going for an upscale type of restaurant or something more down-home?”
“It depends on Devon, Serena, Kandace, and Alicia. I'd like to make sure it's something that appeals to everyone.”
James nodded. “Makes sense, and keep in mind, Cherry is an emerging neighborhood that has people from all walks of life.”
A waiter walked over to the table and placed an array of appetizers in front of the couple. “Compliments of the chef,” he said.
“Thanks,” James said. He picked up a succulent piece of shrimp and held it out to Jade to bite.
“Umm,” she moaned. “This is good.”
James bit off a piece of the shrimp himself and agreed. “This guy is good.”
Dinner came next, along with a bottle of chardonnay. James and Jade dined on grilled chicken breasts marinated in a cilantro-lime sauce, wild rice, and tender vegetables.
“I wonder what he can do with a steak,” Jade mused as she sipped her wine.
“That's my girl,” James said.
“Does this wine taste funny to you?” she asked as she set her glass down.
James sipped his wine and shrugged. “Tastes fine to me.”
She waved for the waiter and requested a glass of water. Seconds later Devon Harris was walking toward their table, carrying a glass of water. “Ms. Christian, how are you?” he said as he set the water in front of her. Jade rose to her feet and gave the six-foot-two chef a quick hug.
“I'm very well. This is James Goings,” she said. Devon extended his hand to James, and the two men shook.
“How was dinner?” Devon asked.
“Great,” James said.
“Yes, it was,” Jade said.
Devon smiled. “That's what I like to hear. Would you guys like to tour the kitchen after dessert?”
“Umm, James?” asked Jade.
James shrugged. “Why not?”
“All right,” Devon said, smiling at the couple. “It's nice to meet you, James. I've got to get back.”
“Nice fellow,” James said once Devon was gone. “Doesn't look like a chef, though. The Bobcats could use him running the point.”
She laughed. “I guess that's why his show is such a hit. People like looking at him.”
“How do you two know each other?” James asked, with a hint of jealousy in his voice.
“He and Kandace used to date. I think they're still in love with each other, but they're fighting the feeling.”
“A story as old as time,” he said.
“You know how you men can be, and my friend is hardheaded.”
“Do you think it's a good idea for them to work together? With all these feelings floating around?”
“He'll be working directly with me, and who knows? This could be their chance. Second chance, if you will,” Jade said.
“Maybe whatever broke them up means it's best that they stay apart.”
“And did you tell your brother that when he and Kenya reconnected?”
“Checkmate,” he said. “But everybody's story is different.”
“What about our story?” she asked. “How will we go down?”
“I don't know,” he said. “But I'm loving how it's playing out so far.” He leaned over and kissed her on the cheek.
“Good answer,” she said.
Moments later the waiter came over to the table with a molten chocolate cake and two forks. James whispered in Jade's ear, “Make sure we take some of this home, because I'd love to see how chocolate tastes on you.”
“You are so bad,” she replied, then asked the waiter for a to-go box.
Once they finished tasting the dessert and boxing it up, Jade headed for the kitchen, while James stayed at the table, listening to the jazz band.
“Where's your man?” Devon asked.
“He's not really interested in the kitchen,” she said. “Besides, we need to talk.”
“I know. So, you and the crew are opening up a restaurant?”
Jade nodded. “And we want the best.”
“Are you sure it's a good idea for me to work for you guys? Our history isn't all peachy.”
“Just so you know, it was Serena's idea to find you. Kandace has been working really hard to get you, and I'm going to be the general manager.”
“That's all nice to hear, but Serena, also known as the ice queen, hates my guts. Kandace, well, she just confuses the hell out of me, and Alicia, she's Serena's twin.”
“Nothing to say about me?”
“You're nice, Jade, but I know how things are with you four.”
“This is business and we need you. If for no other reason than to beat Stephen at his game.”
“Aw,” Devon said. “So, Mr. Wonderful has something to do with this restaurant venture. What did you ever see in that guy?”
“I ask myself that question all the time,” Jade replied. “But this really isn't about him. You owe us.”
Devon held his chin and peered at Jade. “One year.”
“One year?”
“I will work with you guys for one year. We can get together and work out my salary. Then there is my TV show. If I'm working for you guys, then I need to be able to film my show in the restaurant, and I want to have some input in how the kitchen looks.”
“All right, and you will have total control over the menu,” Jade said.
“That goes without saying, buttercup.”
“Please, don't call me that,” she replied, with a laugh.
“So, what's the deal with you and James?”
She smiled. “Want to trade love stories?”
“There you go. We have nothing to trade.”
She folded her arms across her chest and rolled her eyes. “What happened between you and Kandace?”
“Ask her, because I don't know. One minute we're in love, and the next she's telling me she doesn't want to see me again. When you find out what happened, let me know.” His voice was tinged with bitterness.
“Sorry,” Jade said. “I had no idea.”
Devon shrugged. “Give my business manager a call tomorrow, and let's meet before you leave town, say, one o'clock? Hey, don't you still live in Atlanta?”
“Yes, but when we open, I'm going to move here.”
“And James lives in Atlanta?”
“No,” she said, with a smile. “He lives here.”
“It's good to know someone is getting a happy ending,” he said wistfully.
Jade reached out and rubbed his shoulder with sisterly affection. “The book hasn't closed on you two yet,” she said.
Devon offered her a melancholy smile. “If you say so,” he replied.
“I'd better get back. Thank you so much for doing this.”
“Tell Serena I said, ‘What's up'?”
Jade walked back into the dining room and found James grooving to the smooth jazz band. She crept up behind him, bringing her lips to his ear.
“Excuse me, sir. Would you like to dance?” she whispered.
James turned around, with a wide smile on his lips. “Let's do it.”
They took to the dance floor, walking hand in hand. James pulled Jade against his body, and they rocked their hips in a seductive dance that made them the stars of the show. The other dancers stepped aside and watched Jade and James slow dance in the middle of the floor. He spun her around with a flourish and then dipped her. Jade lifted her leg around James's waist as if she were a contestant on
Dancing with the Stars.
Some of the people around the couple started clapping as they continued to dance. Once the song ended, the crowd broke into a rousing round of applause. James and Jade took a bow and headed back to their table, hand in hand.
“I didn't know you had those kinds of moves,” Jade said.
“Don't let the suit fool you,” James replied, with a wink. She leaned into him, pressing her nose against his. He brushed his lips against hers and gently kissed her. “You want to get out of here?”

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